The present document aims to review the progress of the HIV response in the Asia-Pacific region, with a view to identifying the opportunities for further action afforded by the 2011 Political Declaration. In doing so, it also draws on the expressed commitments undertaken by ESCAP member States to address the HIV epidemic, including those reflected in resolutions 66/10, Regional call for action to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in Asia and the Pacific (19 May 2010) and 67/9, Asia-Pacific regional review of the progress achieved in realizing the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS (25 May 2011).

This report describes the current continuum of testing for HCV, which is complex and expensive, which means that it is very challenging to implement in resource-limited settings. It examines the platforms/tests that are currently available across the range of required HCV testing from screening to confirmation and genotyping, fibrosis staging and treatment monitoring. The report also considers how the testing cascade for HCV may be simplified with the availability of DAAs, which would help make HCV testing attainable in resource-limited settings. Finally, it looks at the pipeline of tests/platforms for HCV that could be delivered at or near the point of patient care.

The Board is presenting this special report to Member States in the hope that the analysis and recommendations presented therein may assist them in the development of national policies and control systems that are capable of achieving the goals of the international drug control conventions in relation to ensuring availability of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Member States have already underlined the importance of this issue in a number of resolutions and political declarations adopted by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. They also referred to it in the Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases and in resolution WHA67.19 of the World Health Assembly, on strengthening of palliative care as a component of comprehensive care throughout the life course.

This landscape analysis surveys the current state of technologies for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as market dynamics that affect the affordability and accessibility of HCV therapeutics. HCV treatment falls within the ambit of UNITAID’s mission because it is a major HIV coinfection and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV. Strategic Objective 3 of the UNITAID Strategy 2013−2016 specifically refers to viral hepatitis, notably hepatitis B and C.

WHO guidelines on antiretroviral therapy (ART) have evolved during the past decade towards recommending earlier treatment, as evidence has shown clinical and public health benefit, treatment has become simpler, more tolerable and more affordable, and systems for ARV delivery have been streamlined for scale.

This update summarizes experiences of countries that have already begun to implement earlier treatment approaches as part of a national policy or pilot programmes. Overall, these five country examples demonstrate that scaling up a treat-all policy, across diverse populations (adults, key populations and children) is acceptable and feasible, with early benefits and no immediate evidence of harmful effects.

Surveillance of transmitted HIV drug resistance (TDR) in individuals recently infected with HIV was performed following WHO-suggested methods. The prevalence of transmitted HIV drug resistance (TDR) in recently infected antiretroviral drug naïve individuals in PNG has not been fully characterised.

Preventing HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships: Evidence, strategies and approaches for addressing concentrated HIV epidemics in Asia provides evidence-based guidance to policymakers in Asia so that national HIV responses give appropriate priority to prevention efforts among key populations and their intimate partners, as well as those in serodiscordant relationships. Scaling up efforts to prevent intimate partner transmission of HIV will help countries to meet targets to halve sexual transmission of HIV, eliminate mother-to-child transmission, reduce AIDS-related maternal deaths, and address gender inequalities.

This report by UNDP, UNICEF and UNAIDS responds to data which shows that new infections in the long-running HIV epidemics in Asia, such as in Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand, are on the increase among intimate partners of high risk populations. Reviewing the interplay of factors that affect sexual behaviours and decision making among key populations and people living with HIV, the report recommends strategies that need to be adopted by countries for a more comprehensive response to intimate partner transmission.

The report argues that efforts to address intimate partner transmission of HIV should concentrate on the interplay of factors that affect sexual behaviour and decision-making among key populations and people living with HIV who know their status, including how they negotiate safer sex and make contraceptive choices with their intimate partners.

A child’s chance to survive and thrive is much greater in 2015 than it was when the global community committed to the MDGs in 2000.

Data show significant progress in areas such as child survival, nutrition, motherto- child transmission of HIV and primary school enrolment, among others. These are impressive achievements, but they are only part of the story.

This report also shows progress for the most vulnerable, proving that a more equitable world is within reach. But despite this progress, millions of the children in greatest need have been left behind – the most marginalized and vulnerable children whose future the MDGs were designed to safeguard.

The HIV epidemic amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) in Bangkok is substantial. The population size of MSM in Bangkok is 120,000-250,000, with approximately one-third (33.5 percent) considered high-risk, characterized by their young age, multiple partnerships, frequent unprotected anal intercourse, and sexual activities around MSM hotspots. In metropolitan Bangkok, HIV prevalence among MSM reportedly increased from 21 percent to 28 percent between 2000 and 2012. The Thai Working Group of Estimation and Projection (2013) projected an estimate of 39,000 new HIV infections would occur in Thailand during 2012-2016, based on the AIDS Epidemic Model (AEM).

Viet Nam has committed to working towards the elimination of HIV mother-to-child transmission. The stated goals are to reduce the vertical transmission rate of HIV nationally to less than 5% by 2015 and to less than 2% by 2020.

Viet Nam has high hepatitis B virus (HBV) and low HIV and syphilis prevalence among pregnant women. Antenatal care (ANC) coverage is high (one visit 96,6%, three visits 87.5%)*. Prevention of mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) of HIV and infant hepatitis B immunization are managed by separate vertical programmes and services. It is national policy that free provider-initiated universal HIV testing is recommended to pregnant women (PW). Syphilis and hepatitis B testing are not routinely offered. This study aims at demonstrating an innovative model of combined universal screening for HIV, syphilis, and HBV for PW and treatment of infected PW in ANC to prevent vertical transmission of three infections.